“I’m glad you’re on my side,” Kaylee murmured when Lexi chuckled.
“Caden, I sent the passwords and access codes to your printer. I’ll let you guys know what else I find when we come by tonight.” Lexi began packing up her gear while adding in a tentative voice. “Caden, the weather’s turning nice. How about we have Sunday dinner here?” Sympathy softened her tone as her not-so-subtle push to see Caden expand his horizons in the new home earned a frustrated sigh. “Your free-loading brothers want to break in your house, and probably some furniture, a few lamps, and dishes. You don’t have any stains on the floors or sofas. They can fix that, too.”
Ethan squeezed his brother’s shoulder in a show of support. “It’s time, bro. We’re all behind you.”
“All right. Next Sunday. I’ve wanted to unpack my chess board and whip your ass.”
“Told you he’d say yes now.” Lexi grinned wide and gave Kaylee a thumbs up before turning to leave.
“Hey, just for the manipulation, you can give us a ride later. We’re gonna hit the rapids this afternoon. We’ll need a ride back to the car. I’ll call you with a meeting point.”
“Kaylee, are you up for that?” Ethan glanced from Kaylee to Caden.
“She’s fine. We’ll keep it calm and simple.” Sunlight had chased the shadows from the room by the time Caden escorted his guests to the door.
A cold sweat dotted Kaylee’s brow with progressive clicks of the mouse in Ciera’s social media account. In older photos, a decidedly exuberant, fun loving, young woman laughed and partied with her friends, presided over social functions with her brother, and crowded in for a family photo at a holiday dinner. Later photos revealed a more somber woman with shadows under her eyes and a pasted-on smile while standing next to her husband at a banquet.
Surfing through the files of a woman who’d accused her of abandonment, Kaylee fought the overwhelming guilt but persisted in hopes of spotting something, anything that could help. Caden sat beside her on the sofa as she opened each digital folder to examine its contents. “If Conroy was still abusing her, and I can’t imagine that stopping, then she might have spoken in code, so to speak, about any information or conversations she wanted to hide. But her family didn’t mention it. She had to have been connecting with someone.”
“Let’s take a look at her private account and email. As soon as Lexi identifies the recipient detailing Ciera’s discovery of the condoms, we’ll know a lot more.” Caden rested his arm on her shoulders.
“All right.” Kaylee opened the first digital mailbox. “Do you recognize any names in the sender’s list?” Clicking on the from column organized the names alphabetically.
Caden frowned as he scanned the messages. “Yeah, most of these people, I do. Let’s open a few of these.” Caden pointed to several that listed dates for fund-raising events.
“It looks like she keeps both her inbox and sent folders pretty clean. I’m thinking she deleted any her husband wouldn’t approve of due to the nature of the exchange or the recipient.” Kaylee blew out a long breath.
“Not a problem. Depending on the setup, Lexi can still retrieve them. As with other files, just because you hit delete doesn’t make the information disappear. Those chunks of data are set aside, waiting to be overwritten. If anyone can resurrect it, Lexi can.”
The remaining folders failed to give a clue or insight of Ciera’s secret life where drugs played an integral part.
“She wasn’t paranoid by nature, but I suspect she grew adept at hiding things. I remember when she called me after we broke up, said she was seeing the prick again, and that it would be different.” Caden shook his head. “Most of the pictures included immediate family. I’m thinking she hated her social life even though they haven’t been married long.”
“I’d really hoped to learn more about her. Something that might give us a clue. I wonder how long she’s had the street persona. Seeing her in those ragged clothes in the cage and then these pictures is kind of a sudden uptake. She could have tons of friends we’ll never identify.”
“When I learned of her involvement with the seamier side, she tried to drag me into it. When I wouldn’t budge, we cut ties. I don’t even know how she came by her stash.”
“The family’s going to eventually learn so much, things they won’t forget. I feel sorry for her mom.”
“Damn. Yeah, it always comes out in the end. We’ll protect her as much as we can.” Caden closed the laptop and moved it to the end table. “How about we take a break and hit the rapids?”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“Great. I’ll grab the gear after updating Matt. You pack us some goodies to eat. We’ll talk safety procedures on the way.”
“You have waterproof cases for your cell and food?”
“Yep. Got it covered. It’s gonna be a carefree afternoon of peace and tranquility.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Wow. I haven’t had so much fun in a long time. By the way, nice rubber.” Kaylee’s eyes sparkled with devilment. “Maybe next time we can tackle something a little rougher. A higher class?”
The McKenzie River’s lower gradient presented less difficulty in navigating the bars, boulder fans, and other obstacles commonly found. It was the second time Caden had guided them to an eddy to assess Kaylee’s energy reserves. Though he and his brothers had soared down Class IV smokers, he wouldn’t risk taking her in choppier waters until assured she was ready and her wrist completely healed. “Sure. I just wanted to make sure we weren’t pushing the envelope. Here’s where we hop off. Up ahead, it gets pretty rough.”
“I’m fine. Not even a slight headache, and my wrist is fine.”
“Your foresight and agility are impressive. I wasn’t sure you’d see the rooster tail.” He rested his paddle over his knees. He should have realized she’d insist on paddling, too.
Her not-so-innocent comment referencing his raft and their sexual undercurrent made him smile. She obviously took great delight in verbal taunting yet never followed through with a come-hither smile. If he closed his eyes and concentrated on the surroundings, he could imagine himself hanging out with the guys.
“Hey, I watch for changes in flow, and that water plume probably came from a sizable underwater obstacle.” Her grin epitomized delight and a slight weariness from activity.
“You sore? We’ve been at it for an hour, and I hadn’t counted on your participation. I just wanted to give you a change of scenery.” He nodded to the left bank. “There’s a rest area over there where Ethan will pick us up.”
I’m just a little tight. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but I’m ready for more.” Rolling one shoulder up and forward conveyed her meaning as she dipped her single-bladed paddle in the water, playing with the small eddies.
“We’ll come back in a few days.”
The soft breeze wrapping her in nature’s soothing aromas, the sun’s warmth on her upturned face, and the anticipation of the next leg of their journey, must’ve called forth the enthusiasm of previous trips taken with her twin. Tranquility encompassed her expression when she took in the beautiful scenery of the wilds bordering the river, inhaling deep, as if renewing both her senses and determination to live the life she’d planned.
It was one of those idyllic moments remembered fondly at the end of the day.
The thin whine of a rifle's shot echoed off the low canyon walls at the same time Kaylee’s body bucked forward at an angle. Her paddle flipped to the floor. A second shot ricocheted off the rock inches from her head.
“Fuck!” A crimson stain bloomed on the back of her sleeve. She grabbed her arm with her other hand.
“Down!” Snatching her vest, he urged her to the floor before shifting and pushing off the surrounding rock and into the current. “Keep your head down.”
Without a weapon and no cover, he paddled into the faster current and hoped they could round the bend before taking another hit.
By using downstream angles, avoiding eddi
es, and remaining in the stronger jet of the current, he made better time. Searching for the shooter was impossible, sparing a backward glance in the increasing fury of the river could be just as deadly as taking a bullet. Twice more, the telltale sigh of a slug’s passage whispered confusion in his day. Each time, a corresponding jolt underneath him foreshadowed the shooter’s intent. If he couldn’t zero in on Kaylee, he’d sink the craft in the increasingly violent waters.
Seconds later, he felt the easing of passage created by Kaylee’s paddle cutting through the water.
“Rock garden ahead. River right.” Another shot fired. Instead of searing pain in his back, he felt another punch to the raft. Over his shoulder, Kaylee’s eyes rounded with understanding, but her determination persevered.
“Fucking bad aim, prick.” Her voice shook underneath the bravado.
Praying her experience was on par with the current portion of the river, Caden maneuvered them right while remaining in the faster-rushing current. Beneath and around them, the raft softened each time one of its chamber took a hit. The roar of the water overshadowed its hiss from air loss. Maybe not such a bad aim.
What felt like hours took place in a fraction of the time. The next shot ricocheted off an adjacent boulder as they rounded a broad tongue of land. They’d have cover from bullets but not the watery disaster fast approaching. The craft wobbled underneath.
“Right bank. We need to get ashore before the next run out.” Though he’d topped off before leaving, the raft’s death-throe writhing was as dangerous as the river in which they traveled. They wouldn’t make it to shore. Shock stalled his heart when Kaylee’s paddle bounced up and down in the water to his left, jetting downstream ahead of them. Instinct swiveled his gaze back to see her face contorted in anger. She didn’t appear to have suffered further injury.
“Fuck! Sorry, Caden.” The bloodstain blossoming on her right arm trailed down her shirt.
“We’ve got to bail out. Can you still swim?”
The raft’s softening floor created a more immediate problem. The decision of when to jump vanished when the craft folded in half, the middle rising up and throwing Kaylee under water.
Either instinct or experience urged her body into a lawn chair position when she surfaced, her arms moving in sync to guide her toward the bank. Toes up meant she could use her feet to push off rocks and her boots wouldn’t snag on natural hidden traps below the surface, holding her body while water rushed overhead and filled her lungs with water. Shock of the cold engulfing her thin frame would quickly lead to hypothermia. She didn’t have enough fat to insulate her against the frigid temperature for long.
Having twisted to the side, Caden entered the cold flow an instant later, using his greater strength to swim toward her and the shore. Each time her head bobbed below the water line, panic drummed a louder beat in his ears. Her helmet would protect her head from injury but not from drowning. They were thirty yards from the bank.
Aligning himself to cut across the eddy line at a ninety-degree angle, he maneuvered to the top where it wasn’t as wide. Never in his life had he been so glad to get his hands on another person. Latching onto her vest and hauling her close, he angled her body over his hip then used his other arm to swim toward shore. Kaylee used her outstretched arms to paddle and help guide them. Once again, they were in sync.
“We’re in shallow water now. Once I’m past these rocks, we can catch our breath, and I can check your wound.” The last thing he wanted to do was let her go. Twice, he lost his footing in the violent tempest yet managed to keep her tight in his arms.
Rocky shore yielded to grass. For once, nature didn’t collude with fate and send him crashing onto the boulders with his precious burden.
Violent shivers and tightly clenched eyes drafted a likely scenario if he couldn’t raise her body temperature. Gently, he sat her on a thickened knoll of grass and kneeled beside her.
The slice in her sleeve widened with a quick tug to reveal the wound. Blood continued to trickle from a shallow slash where the bullet had grazed the back of her upper arm. If the water had been less turbulent, the shooter could have killed her.
“Looks like he nicked you pretty good. I’m gonna tie my handkerchief around it to stop the bleeding.” Further examination yielded no other wounds. “Jesus. What a miracle. Does anything else hurt?” As if unable to wait through her self-assessment, he lifted the back of her vest and shirt to examine for injury.
“I’m okay. It barely hurts. Do you think he’s still coming for us?”
“Don’t know. Can you walk?” Helping her stand, he assessed her both mentally and physically.
“Yeah. Did your phone survive the trip?” Checking the pocket of her vest, she added, “Mine didn’t.”
“Mine’s good, but we lost the food.”
“Not hungry, just want to get out of here.”
“Unless he swims across, which is highly unlikely, there isn’t a bridge for several miles. The trees and brush are thick enough to give us cover.” The bastards just keep coming. The current fiasco pointed to either a large group or one that was well organized.
Caden retrieved his cell from its waterproof container to call Ethan, who should have been closest to their present position. A decidedly clipped response followed the first ring.
“What’s wrong? I didn’t expect you to bother me for hours.”
“Shooter. Pick us up at Brody’s shop.”
“Intact?”
“Yeah, Kaylee’s injured, but we’re good.” Caden ended the call abruptly amid Ethan’s verbal relay and Lexi’s background string of curses.
Nothing made sense. Some elusive thread foiled his attempt to ferret out how the shooter had known where to set up. They hadn’t been followed. To place a tracker on his vehicle while parked at the shopping center constituted a very desperate or preplanned move. He prayed for the former.
“How far are we from the main road?” A little color returned to her cheeks after a few steadying breaths. She’d tucked her hands in her wet, vest pockets.
So I don’t see them shaking.
“Several miles. You up for a hike?” The aftermath of their narrow escape left an overload of adrenaline flooding his system to leave his emotions in a swirling whirlpool of relief, worry, and anger. Before he hoofed it out, his mind and heart needed affirmation she was emotionally fortified. Gently, he pulled her into his arms, holding her close to his chest. “God, I’m so sorry, Kaylee. I thought this would be a break from the stress.”
“Hmm, it is now.”
Her softer body parts molded to his larger, harder frame in such a way he knew they’d be a perfect fit. The pressure of her hands at the small of his back provoked its own response despite their chilled trembling. When he started to step back, she pulled him tighter, her entire body shaking. He couldn’t deny her what they both needed. Affirmation of life.
“We’re going to be okay, sweetheart.”
“I know. But I’ve learned the hard way to appreciate what I have when I can. And you’re distracting me again.”
“Yeah. Kinda.”
“Scalawag.”
His grin created like in kind and preceded the moan felt against his chest. “You’re still shivering.” While observing for thickened speech, decreased coordination, and blue-tinged skin among others—he slid his fingers to the measured beat throbbing in her neck.
“I’m fine, Caden. Exercise will warm me up.”
Under different circumstances, he’d suggest the perfect exercise.
And what in the fuck is wrong with me?
Understanding the phenomena of survival-mode frenetic lust didn’t excuse his thoughts. He was a rational man, evolved.
Precious seconds passed. When she pulled back, he led the way through nature’s joke of a path. Deer trails crisscrossed at various angles leading from the water’s edge while occasional mumbled curses about spurs and stickers drifted forward. Several times, he stopped to free her from the countryside’s grasping thorns
.
“At least our vests afford us some protection from the briars. We’re lucky the underbrush isn’t thicker in these parts, yet it’s enough to block the brunt of the wind.” Guilt twined with anxiety for putting her at risk.
“How did they know we’d be here today?” Kaylee stumbled over a log, her misstep sending her plowing into Caden’s back.
“Careful, pirate.” He stopped to let her catch her breath. “We’ll check, but someone could’ve put a tracker on my truck while parked at the shopping center or could’ve heard us talking while we were there. I know for sure we weren’t followed.”
Each time he stopped along the trail to listen for signs of pursuit, he noted how she’d scrutinize her surroundings, wary of the hunter. He’d hoped to erase at least some of her anxiety today but succeeded only in multiplying it exponentially.
After climbing out of a steep ravine, he urged her to rest on the stump of a large oak. She swiped at the perspiration dotting her brow without uttering a complaint. Exhaustion didn’t detract from the determination in her gaze.
“Why are you smiling, Caden?”
“Your stubbornness is—”
“If you say cute, I’ll dropkick you into next week.”
“I was going to say endearing, but I think I’ll change that to admirable.”
“Good call.” She pulled at some thorns attached to her vest.
“Sun’s setting, but we should be meeting up with Ethan in a few minutes.”
“How’d you know where we are?”
“I grew up rafting this river. My brothers and I have been through here a number of times. There’s a small mom-and-pop store about a half mile ahead. Ethan’s gonna meet us there.”
It took another thirty minutes to forge their way to the small convenience store where three familiar vehicles parked next to his own, each bearing a brother leaning against the hood, tapping their fingers, or clenching a jaw on admonitions waiting to spill.
“Sure know how to show a girl a good time, Ca.” Billy smirked as Caden wrapped his left arm around Kaylee.
Bound By Shadows (The McAllister Justice Series Book 2) Page 15